2 BOCNEWS.com JULY 2019 The man whose portrait is currently accepted as Christ: Reprinted from the New World Encyclopedia — Cesare Borgia (September 13, 1475 – March11, 1507) was a Spanish-Italian cardi- nal who resigned his church office to become a military commander, powerful lord, and a leading fig- ure in the politics of his era. The acknowledged but illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, Borgia was the sibling of Lucrezia, Jofré, and Giovanni Borgia. Borgia was a brilliant general who lived during the period when the papacy was both a spiritual and military power. Cesare Borgia’s actions greatly advanced the domain of the Papal States after his father became pope. Simultaneously, Borgia became a powerful political figure in his own right. He was mili- tary Captain-General of the Holy Church. Borgia gained a reputation not only for effective-ness as a military leader, but for outright ruthless- ness in the pursuit and mainte- nance of power. Cesare Borgia and his family came to represent the height of the Renaissance papacy’s corruption and ambition a genera- tion before Protestant Reformation. In many ways, the excesses of Borgia’s support of the papacy proved to be the impetus for the Reformation. Take a look and see for yourself how a portrait of Cesare Borgia compares to the popularized picture of Jesus. Josephus' description of Christ: The first century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote the first non biblical writings of Jesus, in " The Antiquities of the Jews". Robert Eisler a scholar of ancient history, examined the writtings of Josephus. His manuscript 'The Messiah Jesus and John the Baptist', based on textual comparisons. In Eisler clas- sic 1931 study of josephus testimo- ny to reconstruct the unaltered tes- timony based on a newly discovered Russian Translation that preserved the original Greek text. According to Eisler's reconstruc- tion, the non-biblical description of Jesus reads as follows; "At that time also there appeared a certain man of magic power ... if it be meet to call him a man, whose name is Jesus, whom cer- tain Greeks call a son of a God, but his disciples call the true prophet ... he was a man of simple appear- ance, mature age, BLACK-SKINNED (melagchrous), short growth, three cubits tall (about 5'3''), hunch- backed, prognathous (jaws that pro- jected beyond the upper part of the face) with a long face, a long nose, eyebrows meeting above the nose ... with scanty (curly) hair, but having a line in the middle of the head after the fashion of the Nazaraeans, with an undeveloped beard." How does Josephus' description of Jesus compare to the popularized picture we all know today? Isaiah's description of Christ: ISAIAH 53. 1-5. NIV. 1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely, he took up our infir- mities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgres- sions, he was crushed for our iniq- uities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  How does Isaiah's description of Jesus compare to the popularized picture we all know today? And now you know the rest of the story... By Randy McCowan, Publisher Know Our History — Empower Your Future Did You Know Christ's Portrait is Cesare Borgia SOURCE: "The Reception of Josephus in Jewish Culture", and "Hebrew to Negroes"